Jane Bozarth, social media expert, reveals all.Post from: The eLearning CoachELC 002: Using Social Media For Learning

What is Curation? from Percolate on Vimeo. The post Video of the Week: Curation appeared first on Designed For Learning.

Make your interactions enjoyable and easy to use.Post from: The eLearning Coach10 Interaction Design Tips

This sketch describing the 'three Cs' was inspired by some research I was doing in preparation for tonight's Weelearning event on 'Curate? Create Debate!'.   The post Consume, Curate, Create! appeared first on Designed For Learning.

How to use eLearning scenarios to impact learning and accelerate expertise.Post from: The eLearning CoachELC 003: Why You Need Scenario-based eLearning

I would really like my next tablet to be a Microsoft Surface loaded with Windows RT. Suddenly Microsoft’s tiled non-skeuomorphic interface looks cool compared to the endless pages of icons lined up in rows. Even the 16:9 wide-screen format looks cool compared to Apple’s old school 4:3. But the problem I have with Windows 8, and therefore the problem which Microsoft has as well, is the lack of apps in the Windows 8 App Store.  When it comes to apps Windows 8 is a desert compared to Apple’s or Android’s oases. This is a big shame because I am a prime customer for Microsoft. I run Windows 7 on my desktop and laptop and the primary tools of my trade are Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Being able to use these tools on my tablet device, even in cut down form, would be a real boon for me. Currently I have to mess about converting PowerPoint to Keynote and using a weird collection of writing apps (I’m writing this in Byword) when I am working with words alone. The real danger for Microsoft here is that I am faced with two choices - struggle on with my mixed Apple/Windows set-up or decide to go for an all Apple ecosystem. Steve Ballmer must be hoping that not too many take the latter option. Corporate customers of course are less responsive and apart from executive toys and BYOD iOS is hardly becoming the corporate workhorse that will oust Windows. Still it’s got to be a worrying time for Microsoft. Can it get into the tablet market while there is some of it left? The post Thinking about a Windows 8 Tablet? appeared first on Designed For Learning.

Instructional Design Guru app gets transported to the world of Android.Post from: The eLearning CoachDesigning mSupport For Android

Learn to match your storytelling with the natural tendencies of the brain.Post from: The eLearning CoachELC 004: How To Write Compelling Stories

I’m currently participating in a MOOC (massive open online course) delivered by Paul Kim at Stanford University and which is running on Stanford’s own Venture Lab learning platform. I’m primarily interested in learning about the platform and what it’s like to actually learn in this way but the course I am taking is also interesting in itself since it’s called: Designing a New Learning Environment. This first video introduces the platform. More to follow as I work my way through the course. The post Stanford Venture Lab MOOC appeared first on Designed For Learning.

Do you withstand heavy blows and continue to move forward?Post from: The eLearning CoachKorean Zombie Instructional Design

Flip your design process for awesome results.Post from: The eLearning CoachSubtractive Visual Design

This is the second video update on the Stanford Venture Lab MOOC that I’m following. The work is ramping up a bit but I’m still managing to fit the assignments in. With such a large number of learners there is no way that staff can grade or feedback on assignments so the solution is peer evaluation. This video shows how it works on the Stanford Venture Lab platform. The post Peer Evaluation on a MOOC appeared first on Designed For Learning.

Awesome tips for designing and shooting video from a media specialist. Post from: The eLearning CoachELC 005: How To Stop Making Boring Videos

I’m currently on one of Stanford University’s MOOC courses. It’s free, can be done completely online and is pretty flexible as to how you organise your study time. It only requires 4 hours per week but when you have a day job, a family and other interests beyond a computer screen that four hours can be hard to find. I’m never quite sure where I am. Am I up to date with the lectures and reading? Is there a conversation I need to respond to? Worst of all, is there an assignment that needs to be submitted? With the flexibility of online learning comes the discipline of keeping on top of it all but the Venture Lab learning environment does a reasonable job of providing a dashboard of upcoming activities. A friend of mine is also taking an online programme and she has the same problem. She is never quite sure where she is and what she has to and she is on a full blown 2 year MBA programme! Most of the online learning I am involved in is of the bite sized variety but when programmes extend over a longer time period and include deadlines for assignments or other assessed activities it’s particularly helpful if the learning environment can help you to monitor and manage your learning. There are two key elements here; progression and planning. Progression Progression charts your progress through the learning materials. In its simplest form it shows you what you have already done (watched, read, downloaded, submitted). Progression is important for tutors as well as learners. Progression is a really key aspect of online learning because of its flexible nature. One of the things I always look for in a new LMS is the way progression is measured. Some of the fancy new platforms like Treehouse use gamification techniques such as badges and levels both to monitor progression and encourage completion. Course Progression on the Udemy Online Learning Platform Planning Where progression is about the past, planning is about the future. What have I got to do, when will I do it, what dates are critical? Planning is also key for tutors and in synchronous programmes tutors often drip feed learning activities as the course  develops. Typically a new set of activities will be released each week. The Stanford MOOC adopts this approach though it’s not strictly linked to weeks. The most useful view for planning is a calendar with the various activities highlighted. Standford’s Venture Lab doesn’t use a calendar but its list of upcoming events works pretty well. Progression and Planning on the Stanford Venture Lab Platform The post Time Management for Learners appeared first on Designed For Learning.

Lots of ways and tools to capture the expertise of a subject matter expert.Post from: The eLearning CoachTools For Capturing SME Knowledge

This article first appeared in e-Learning Insights from the E-Learning Network (ELN) as part of their 24 Tips series. If you are interested in web and UI design it’s likely you will have come across the great skeuomorphism debate that’s currently raging around Apple. Until a few months ago I didn’t know what skeuomorphism meant but now that I understand the concept I think it’s useful to explore its relevance to e-learning design. So what is skeuomorphism? Wikipedia defines it as: A skeuomorph is a physical ornament or design on an object copied from a form of the object when made from another material or by other techniques. For example a calendar application which displays the days organised on animated month pages in imitation of a paper wall calendar. Skeuomorphic designs are ones that mimic real world objects. Here are some classic examples - all of them iOS apps. Skeuomorphism is popular because people are familiar with the real world objects mimicked and also because they have a certain warm and comfy aesthetic. However it’s an approach that has some failings. Firstly, not all of the replicated real world objects worked very well in the first place. My password app Mecrets uses a safe tumbler which although initially fun to play with becomes a real pain when trying to get access to a password in a hurry. And why should an address book look like a Rolodex when most users will never have used a Rolodex in their lives. More significantly, skeuomorphism is at odds with responsive designs - all that lovely wood and leather is a problem since it usually relies on bitmap images not vector shapes. Windows 8 takes a non-skeuomorpic approach and its tile based minimalist look works well across a wide range of devices. Although we never referred to it using a skeuomorphic label, skeuomorphism has been popular in e-learning design. I’ve worked on many projects that have adopted a skeuomorphic approach and generally if you present designs that echo real world objects clients like them better than more minimalist designs. But have we taken skeuomorphism as far as it will go? Professionally I think we have but e-learning design newcomers - and especially those using rapid tools like Articulate Studio or Storyline will undoubtedly continue to favour the approach. Tom Kuhlmann regularly posts free resources that are skeuomorphic - the desktop, post-it notes, photo frames and the blackboard all being particular popular in rapid e-learning designs. Kineo have recently been championing the responsive approach for e-learning design primarily because of the need to present learning content on a wide range of devices, but responsive designs are also inherently non-skeuomorphic (the need to re-flow content and interface elements such as buttons and data entry fields makes skeuomorphic tricky to implement). If other content developers follow this trend, and it’s very likely now that clients want their e-learning on all devices, then it’s likely we will be seeing fewer skeuomorphic designs across the board. My next e-learning storyboard is definitely going to much more minimalist - provided I can persuade the client to ditch all that wood, metal and leather. The post Skeuomorphism in e-Learning appeared first on Designed For Learning.

How to adapt in-person classroom training to a virtual learning experience.Post from: The eLearning CoachELC 006: Creating Virtual Classrooms And Webinars

These resources may give you ideas and strategies for approaches to visual design.Post from: The eLearning Coach21 Ways To Get Visual Ideas

The post Learning Technologies 2013 Show Tour appeared first on Designed For Learning.

Help learners transfer previous knowledge to a new concept with analogies.Post from: The eLearning CoachHow To Write Better Analogies For Learning

Learning Technologies is the main conference/show for the e-learning industry in the UK. This year it neatly overlapped with the educational technology show BETT so I managed to get to both of them over a couple of days in January. Learning Technologies is both a conference and a trade show. I didn’t get to the conference this year but there is lots going on in the show to keep anyone busy for a full day. I actually presented one of the free show seminars with the team from Sponge - our subject was ‘Brain friendly e-learning’ and specifically what we can do in an e-learning course to help the brain retain more stuff. There’s another blog post on this soon. If like me you missed the conference you can see the videos/presentations here: Learning Technologies 2013 Conference Videos and Presentations This year there were six seminar theatres within the show and mostly they appeared pretty busy with seats full and others standing in the aisles. I always use the show to catch-up on the various companies in the e-learning business. Learning Technologies is one of those shows that you simply have to be seen at so as you can expect all the major players were there, and usually in their hard won stand locations. So was there anything new this year? Not much actually. It seems that m-learning is being dropped as something separate to e-learning - the aim of the game now is multi-device compatibility. Kineo are promoting a responsive web design approach while others are sticking to more conventional layouts based of course on HTML5. There were a few new e-learning design and development companies exhibiting so clearly DIY authoring hasn’t completely killed the market for custom development at £10k-£15k per fully interactive hour. E-Learning Brothers at Learning Technologies 2013 As far as DIY tools are concerned Articulate had a bigger stand this year and the Articulate guru Tom Kuhlmann was there to sing the praises of Storyline and to give us little tasters of Studio 13. I actually saw a version of Engage 13 in action on Tom’s laptop so clearly we can’t be too far away from full beta testing. e-Learning Brothers were also there all the way from Utah promoting their bolt on templates, players, and other stuff for the most popular DIY authoring tools. There was a new UK authoring tool called Bricklayer from Training Bricks. It’s entirely browser based and looks pretty powerful but the fact that it’s priced similarly to Storyline and not yet HTML5 capable is likely to mean that it will struggle to get a hold in the DIY market. A short video review coming soon. On the platform front there was nothing significant but one new entrant in the market is LearnUpon from my home town of Dublin. Their LMS is aimed primarily at training companies and is priced very competitively for those looking for a starter LMS. Of particular value from a learning business perspective is the fact that it supports multiple portals so a training company can deliver a branded online learning experience to a number of different customers using the same LMS instance. You can get started with LearnUpon for $99 for up to 250 active users - that’s an attractive start point for a small training company who are just getting started with e-learning. Full review to follow. Talking Brain Friendly Learning with the Sponge Team For a quick video tour of the show see: Learning Technologies 2013 Show Tour   The post Learning Technologies 2013 appeared first on Designed For Learning.

Align your instructional design with the latest research findings.Post from: The eLearning CoachELC007: Leverage How The Brain Works

Use the comic style to motivate and sustain attention.Post from: The eLearning CoachCreating A Comic Style For Learning

A social learning guru once suggested that my company name was misleading since it was impossible to design learning. Her  argument was that learning is something that happens instinctively and that you can’t design it or force it in any way. Was she right? Is it not possible to design learning? Maybe not but we can design for learning. We may not be able to design the actual learning that people do but what we can do is design a resource, an experience or an intervention that encourages, stimulates or facilitates learning - and this applies equally to the classroom and the online environment. When clients buy e-learning they often start by giving us a list of learning objectives. Our task as learning designers is then to design a resource that will result in learning by those who go through it. Ultimately clients want their learners to have all learnt the same thing, but in practice what they learn will depend to a large extent on what they already know. Learners will have different ‘aha!’ moments as they work their way through the learning material. As learning designers our key role is to design scaffolds for learning. We take information and knowledge and present it in ways that help learners make sense of it all and which help map the new knowledge to their existing knowledge. To do this we use a wide range of devices, tactics, and strategies. Sometimes these devices, tactics and strategies are embedded in learning design methodologies. Sometimes they are just intuitive approaches honed over years of experience in helping people understand stuff. Learning design isn’t rocket science - every day teachers design learning experiences within a classroom environment. They aren’t designing the learning but they are designing the activities and interventions that will encourage and stimulate learning. And this takes us back to social learning. Social learning is clearly not designed learning. Social learning does happen naturally. However left to its own devices it’s very inefficient and virtually impossible to manage or monitor.  For social learning to be truly effective the environment (technical and cultural) needs to be right and this will need the hand of a designer in its widest sense.   The post Designing for Learning appeared first on Designed For Learning.